20th Edition of FILMART Welcomed Over 7,300 Buyers

17 March 2016 – The 20th Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), ended today. This year’s FILMART welcomed more than 7,300 buyers during the four-day fair, up 3 per cent over the previous year. There was a significant growth of buyers from Asia. Participation from India, Korea and Vietnam recorded double-digit growth.

In its 20th year, FILMART featured 800 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions, setting a new record for the event held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). FILMART is now recognised as one of the world’s foremost film and TV marketplaces, promoting cross-media and cross-sector collaborations and facilitating film financing, distribution, production and post-production.

Ideal platform for promotion and collaboration
FILMART has long been an important platform for the local entertainment industry to release new productions and announce new development strategies. More than 70 events, including seminars, press conferences and networking activities were held during this year’s FILMART. In addition to the participation of leading film companies such as Media Asia Distribution Limited, Mei Ah Entertainment Group Limited, Emperor Motion Pictures and Sun Entertainment Culture Limited; the Flagship Entertainment Group – a joint venture between Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), CMC Holdings and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. unveiled its logo and line-up of films. The fair facilitated cross-border cooperation as well, with Malaysian exhibitor Animasia Studio inking a deal with the mainland’s Zero One Animation at FILMART to co-produce the 3D CGI film Chuck Chicken a.k.a. Kungfu Chicken. The animated TV series was a big hit when it previously aired on the Disney Channel in Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The film, Chuck Chicken – The Movie, has a budget of US$8 million and is slated for release in early 2018.

Industry leaders analyse new developments
FILMART also featured a series of heavyweight speakers from the realms of film, TV, digital entertainment, post-production, animation and music. Among the guest speakers were the filmmakers of Taken, The Bullet Vanishes, and of animation works Monster Hunt, One Piece, McDull and Attack on Titan. One of the seminars was entitled “Building a Blockbuster Franchise: IP, Brands, Story and Audience”, during which veteran filmmakers shared their experiences in boosting box-office revenue through IP development. Both Shan Dongbing, Founder and President of Donwa Pictures, and Nansun Shi, producer of blockbuster movies including Young Detective Dee – Rise of the Sea Dragon, pointed out that the market is increasingly interested in franchising, with more companies producing franchised movies and developing peripheral products, but it may still be a while before the movie franchising trend fully catches on in the Chinese mainland.

David Uslan, producer of the US hit animation series Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, said movie franchises succeed not just by selling products and making a series of related films but also, “it is the creativity of the screenwriters, actors and directors and the life they give to the characters that keeps the Batman franchise alive.” Doug Mitchell, producer of Mad Max: Fury Road, said the success of the Batman movie franchise had provided a good reference for his work.

French 3D animation studio TeamTO is one of France’s largest independent animation studios. Founder and CEO Guillaume Hellouin said the studio is actively developing new animation software to enhance production quality. It is also expanding its flagship line-up of original IP animation characters as well as launching mobile games and peripheral products, with great success.

Song of the Sea, an animated film by Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, was nominated for Best Animated Feature at last year’s Academy Awards. The studio’s Managing Director Gerry Shirren said the company places great emphasis on developing original IP products, and that investing the time required to create a quality production is the main reason for a film’s success.

Bliss Concepts Ltd from Hong Kong and DandeLion Animation Studio from Japan both have their sights set on market opportunities in the mainland. Samuel Choy, General Manager of Bliss Concepts Ltd, said the debut of the first McDull movie in 2001 has brought many opportunities for the company. These included collaborating with a mainland company in 2009 to produce a kung fu-themed McDull movie. “The Chinese mainland animation market is enormous, with huge demand for sustainable animation series,” he said. Nishikawa Kazuhiro, Director of DandeLion Animation Studio, said, “We would study the preferences of the Chinese audience, and add Chinese cultural elements to our animation works, so that even a foreign tale would have its appeal.”

FILMART is one of the founding events of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong. The Entertainment Expo umbrella includes 10 events covering film, TV, digital entertainment and music. The Entertainment Expo runs through 4 April.

The 20th Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART) ends with the four-day fair attracting more than 7,300 buyers, up three per cent over the previous year

Flagship Entertainment Group, a joint venture between Television Broadcasts Limited, CMC Holdings and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., unveils its company logo and film projects at FILMART. Representing the three companies are (from left): Kevin Tsujihara, Chairman & CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Ruigang Li, Chairman of CMC Holdings and Mark Lee, Executive Director and Group CEO of TVB

Animasia Studio, an exhibitor in the Malaysia Pavilion, inks a deal with the mainland’s Zero One Animation at FILMART to co-produce the 3D CGI film Chuck Chicken a.k.a. Kungfu Chicken with an US$8 million budget

The seminar series of this year’s FILMART features many heavyweight speakers from around the world. At the seminar entitled “Building a Blockbuster Franchise: IP, Brands, Story and Audience”, David Uslan, producer of the US hit animation series Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, Shan Dongbing, producer of Expendables, Doug Mitchell, producer of Mad Max: Fury Road, and Nansun Shi, producer of Young Detective Dee – Rise of the Sea Dragon share their experience in developing the market for IP productions

FILMART, an important platform for film companies to release new productions, features more than 70 events including seminars, film launches and networking activities